Fr George Kolodziej SDS has been confirmed by Pope Francis to be the fifth Bishop of Bunbury.
The Diocese of Bunbury, covering southwest Western Australia, is an area one and a half times as large as England and covers 26 parishes in the state, serving just under 57,000 Catholics.
The Polish-born priest has a storied history of chaplaincy in Western Australia since he was ordained in 1994 by the Archbishop of Krakow and relocated to Perth, where he undertook pastoral work in the Diocese of Bunbury.
Fr George has been the Superior of the Salvatorians in Australia since 2018 and is a member of the Council of Catholic Religious Australia and the Council of Priests in the Archdiocese of Perth.
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President, Archbishop of Perth Timothy Costelloe SDB, praised the appointment and said Fr George was “profoundly marked by the richness of his Salvatorian charism.”
“Fr George will bring a wealth of experience in parish ministry, in youth ministry, and in spiritual and pastoral accompaniment to the new mission to the church in Bunbury to which the Lord has called him,” said Archbishop Costelloe.
Fr George currently directs the Salvatorian Spirituality Centre in Perth and is chaplain for Catholic Education Western Australia, a position he has held since January 2019.
The bishop-elect’s religious journey began when he joined the Salvatorians as a novitiate in 1987 and he has remained steadfast to the order.
In 1999 he was elected as Vice Superior of the Salvatorian Region in Australia.
In addition to serving the West Australian Catholic community, he has also spent time in New South Wales and Victoria, working in various roles across two decades.
In December 2000, Fr George began ministry in the Diocese of Broken Bay, serving as a school chaplain, assistant priest and parish priest throughout various schools and parishes.
He was active in youth ministry, organising World Youth Day pilgrimages and serving on the Australian National World Youth Day Committee.
He has also held leadership roles, including as a member of the Council of Priests and the College of Consultors for the Diocese of Broken Bay.
In 2017, he joined the Salvatorian Formation Commission and served as a spiritual father at the Salvatorian Formation House in Melbourne.
Outside of his work in parishes, the bishop-elect holds master’s degrees in theology and pastoral care as well as psychotherapy and has a postgraduate diploma in addiction studies.
He has served as a psychotherapist at a rehabilitation centre in the Central Coast, providing counselling and support to people dealing with drug addiction and using his pastoral and professional experience to guide patients into and through recovery.
Fr George’s ordination and installation as the Bishop of Bunbury is expected to be held in March.
